1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit (a driver IC) for driving a display device, such as an LCD (liquid crystal display).
2. Description of Related Art
A display device, such as an LCD is widely used in a display part of a small apparatus, such as a digital camera and a mobile phone. Also, a camera is built in a mobile phone, giving rise to a recent demand for displaying an enlarged view of an image taken. Conventionally, image data showing image information of one pixel are used to display a plurality of pixels, whereby a zooming function is realized in a display device by increasing an area displaying identical information. However, since identical image data are employed for displaying the plurality of pixels, it is necessary to process image data in an MPU and the like.
For related techniques, in Japanese Published Patent Publication No. Hei-7-146666 (First, 12 pages, FIG. 1), there is described a scan electrode driving circuit for showing an enlarged display without setting up a peripheral device such as a memory or an A/D, D/A converter in an image display device. According to Japanese Published Patent Publication No. Hei-7-146666, it is possible to show an enlarged display even in a device having no enlarging function on its signal source side by setting up a means of driving a plurality of scan electrodes in one horizontal period. Also, since the plurality of scan electrodes are driven when displaying one piece of image data, it is not necessary to convert an analog signal to a digital signal, and there are no need to set up a memory for storing image data once, which are to be shown in an enlarged display, and a circuit controlling the memory. Further, it is made unnecessary to set up a circuit and the like for mutual conversion between analog signals and digital signals, thus contributing to miniaturization, lightweight, and low cost. Nonetheless, because no mention is made of a method of showing an enlarged display in a horizontal direction, this alone does not make it possible to realize the zooming function.
Moreover, conventional techniques require preparation of a driver IC fit for a resolution of respective LCDs per size (number of electrodes) of an image displaying LCD, so that there is a problem which makes it impossible to use the driver IC of identical specification for driving an LCD of a different resolution.